Corporate culture is the soul of an organization, often requiring considerable energy and time to build and maintain. However, many managers may not realize that while establishing a corporate culture is difficult, its destruction can occur in an instant. This destruction often stems from two seemingly innocuous simple actions:
- Taking a holiday
- Continuing to deal with work matters while on holiday
When an employee on leave continues to send work emails, they send a latent message to their colleagues: that taking leave does not truly mean disconnecting from work. Such behavior gradually erodes the foundation of corporate culture.
According to our latest research, only 14% of managers can fully disconnect from work during their holidays, and the number drops to 7% among executives. Most managers still check work-related issues at least once a day even during their holidays. Perhaps from their perspective, this is a way to ease tension, fearing missing out on important events or being unable to catch up with work progress after returning from holiday.
However, at the moment of pressing the send button, please think deeply, because the implications behind your behavior may far exceed your original intention. This action not only conveys that holidays are not truly a time for relaxation, but it may also make colleagues feel you lack trust in them or are not confident in your own work efficiency. Such practices from the management are particularly damaging to the corporate culture.
Regrettably, many managers only realize this when there is a significant problem with the culture. A corporate culture that lacks support for employees to fully take holidays can lead to a decrease in employees’ commitment to their work and organization. In such a cultural background, the proportion of employees feeling valued drops from 69% to 50%, and the proportion who believe the company cares about personal well-being falls from 64% to 43%, and they are more likely to look for new job opportunities.
In fact, within a culture that does not encourage full holidays, 40% of employees are looking for new jobs or planning to do so in the coming year, which is nearly double the proportion of those in a more supportive cultural environment. Their reasons for leaving are also changing; from seeking better salaries, promotion opportunities, and commuting conditions in the past, to now more often to escape from feeling undervalued, high work pressure, and poor relationships with supervisors.
The survey points out that the primary factor affecting employees’ balance between work and life is their boss, even more so than family. Many managers may not have realized the impact of their behavior on employees’ perception of taking holidays. This attitude of continuing to work during a holiday also subtly conveys a lack of respect for employees’ rest time.
The study also found that, among those managers who frequently check work during holidays, over one-third admit that due to company pressure, they cannot wholeheartedly agree to employees’ holiday requests; among managers who only occasionally check on work, this proportion is about 20%, and for those who do not touch work at all during the holiday, the proportion is only 17%. This undoubtedly shows the impact and attitudes of corporate culture and management on employee rest rights and benefits.
A culture that prohibits vacations can have extremely serious consequences, while companies that value letting their employees rest have great development potential. Employees’ longing for vacations is self-evident; the importance of vacations to them is second only to medical insurance, and may even surpass pensions, bonuses, and flexible work arrangements. Therefore, companies should seize this point as an opportunity to improve corporate culture.
For example, Jim Moffatt, CEO of Deloitte Consulting, on the eve of heading to Scotland for a vacation, sent an email about work arrangements to his staff, casually ending it with a line: “If possible, try to relax a bit before Labor Day.” Later, he received feedback from a colleague which made him realize that he should trust the employees he hired and the strategic guidance he established, instead of monitoring work emails during his vacation.
The colleague suggested that Moffatt trust in the team’s abilities and the clear direction already set. If the wrong employees were chosen or the strategy was incorrect, sending a few emails would not suffice to turn things around. After this enlightenment, Moffatt’s attitude underwent a radical change. He recognized that completely taking a break from work could bring incredible results; his employees could exhibit impressive performance even without his involvement. He experienced this firsthand and claims it made him a more confident and better leader.
If we want to reverse the destructive work culture, we can start with two simple steps: Step one, take vacations; step two, trust that your employees can independently handle work while you are on vacation. Such an approach can encourage employees to showcase and develop new skills, ultimately driving company growth.
Today, with work closely integrated with modern communication technology, understanding the power and importance of vacations, as well as creating an environment where employees feel comfortable taking breaks, are both crucial. This not only motivates employees and makes them more willing to engage actively in their work but also makes them feel valued by the company, producing a lasting positive impact.
